Leon lay motionless on the medical bed, his chest rising so faintly it was almost imperceptible.
The infirmary was filled with the sharp, bitter scent of medicinal compounds. Three senior healers stood around him, their expressions grave, hands pressed against the left side of his chest. A soft green glow pulsed from their palms as they poured restorative energy into his body.
These were not ordinary healers. Each of them possessed advanced restorative arts, capable of mending shattered bones and reversing fatal injuries.
Yet even they looked strained.
At the side of the room, Aurelius and Sullen watched in tense silence.
Aurelius's reason for intervening had been simple, and dangerous.
When Qin Chen collapsed at the gates, Aurelius had sensed it immediately: a faint golden resonance clinging to his soul.
Golden fate.
Rare. Elusive.
According to ancient records, it could herald immense fortune… or catastrophic calamity. There was no middle ground.
Still, Aurelius had chosen to gamble.
If Leon was fortune, the Order would rise.
If he was disaster… then Aurelius would bear the consequences.
"Will he survive?" Sullen asked suddenly, her voice tight with worry. "What happened to him?"
One of the healers exhaled slowly, withdrawing his hand.
"We don't know," he admitted. "His condition is unstable. His mana core is… abnormal. It's difficult to explain."
Sullen's heart sank.
If healers of this caliber were uncertain, then Leon's condition was far worse than she had feared.
All she could do now was pray.
---
Deep beneath the world, within the Abyss itself, something had gone wrong.
Lucas clutched his head, his body writhing as unbearable pain tore through him.
"No… impossible…" the entity inside him muttered, its voice shaking.
It was losing control.
This should not have happened.
It was a primordial abyssal being, a demon that had devoured countless souls across eras. Taking over a mortal body, even one with extraordinary talent, should have been effortless.
Yet now—
Burning.
His soul felt like it was being incinerated from the inside.
Worse still, within Lucas's sea of consciousness, something else was present.
Not just Lucas's original soul.
Something older.
Something vast.
From a distance, Athena watched silently.
Before entering the Abyss, Lucas had instructed her to follow, and if necessary, devour the demon's soul herself.
But now, she hesitated.
There were too many presences inside him.
Lucas's soul.
The demon.
And something else.
Something that made even her uneasy.
The demon screamed, gripping its head.
"No! This body is mine!"
Its pupils flickered... icy blue, then black, then crimson, then golden, then crimson again, as a few wills clashed violently.
For a brief moment, it seemed to win.
Its eyes turned fully icy blue.
Its expression hardened, cruel and merciless.
"A mere demon dares challenge me?" it snarled. "I will devour you instead!"
The world shifted.
The demon plunged into the sea of consciousness.
But instead of an ocean, it found endless darkness.
Then—
Three pair of eyes opened.
Piercing. Blue. Golden. Black. Ancient.
A colossal hand emerged from the void, seizing the demon and dragging it forward.
Before it stood an old man with full beard, massive in presence, with two birds, black and white on his side.
The hand lifted.
Toward a mouth.
"No! NOOOOO! AAARGH—!"
The scream ended abruptly.
The demon was devoured.
A moment later, a violent surge of black energy erupted and rushed into Lucas's mana core, fusing with the astral formation inside. The stars within it condensed, stabilizing into a far more solid constellation.
---
Outside, Lucas's body fell limp into the bubbling magma below.
Athena rushed forward, shock flashing across her face.
"The demon's soul… vanished?" she whispered. "Did he absorb it?"
Soul devouring was nearly impossible for mortals of the lower world. It required soul techniques so advanced they bordered on myth.
And yet Lucas had done it.
She stared at him, conflicted.
She had guided Leon for months and witnessed his talent firsthand.
But Lucas…
In just days, he had overturned everything she believed to be possible.
If she followed him instead, restoring her physical body would not take long.
And yet…
Her heart hesitated.
In the end, she shook her head and ascended rapidly, heading back to the surface to inform Garran.
---
Back at the Creed Mountain Order, Elder Hanrick burst into the infirmary.
"What's his condition?" he demanded.
"Critical," one healer replied solemnly. "We've done all we can."
Hanrick moved immediately, placing his palm over Leon's chest.
Five seconds.
That was how long it took for Qin Chen's heart to beat once.
Hanrick's face darkened.
"I'll handle this," he said firmly.
The other healers stepped aside.
Hanrick was one of the Order's greatest medical specialists, and Leon was not leaving that room without a fight.
---
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before anyone realized it, evening had settled over the Creed Mountain Order. Disciples continued their routines as usual, unaware of the quiet struggle unfolding behind closed doors.
Inside the infirmary, Leon lay unmoving on the bed, his breathing so faint it was easy to miss. Sullen sat beside him, never once looking away, as if sheer will might keep him anchored to the world.
It wasn't that Elder Hanrick had abandoned him.
On the contrary, Hanrick was fighting for Leon's life elsewhere.
He moved swiftly toward the upper sanctuary, urgency driving every step. As his hand reached for the door, he suddenly stopped.
Someone was standing behind him.
Aurelius.
"Did you wish to speak with me?" the high master asked calmly, his hands folded behind his back.
Hanrick turned and bowed. "Yes, High Master. I seek your permission to bring Leon to the Purification Pool."
Aurelius frowned. "The Purification Pool?" he repeated. "Is his condition truly that severe?"
"Yes," Hanrick answered without hesitation. "His mana core is on the verge of collapse. If we delay any longer, he will lose it completely and become an ordinary man."
"I cannot permit that," Aurelius said firmly.
Hanrick clenched his fists.
"Please," he said, his voice low but resolute. "Leon is the most important person in my life. I owe a debt to his family, one I can never repay. If I fail to protect him now, then I have failed as a man."
Aurelius studied him in silence.
"You know," he said slowly, "that Leon carries a golden fate. I cannot determine whether it signifies blessing or catastrophe. If he becomes a disaster… will you bear that responsibility?"
"I will," Hanrick replied instantly. "Even if it costs me my life."
The air grew heavy.
Aurelius hadn't expected such unwavering resolve. There was no hesitation in Hanrick's eyes, no doubt, no fear.
At last, Aurelius sighed.
"…Very well. You have my permission."
Hanrick immediately dropped to one knee. "Thank you, Sect Master!"
Aurelius helped him up. "Go. Don't waste another moment."
Hanrick bowed once more and hurried back toward the infirmary.
Aurelius remained where he stood, watching him disappear down the corridor.
Once again, he had broken the Order's rules for an outsider.
First Lucas.
Now Leon.
The Purification Pool itself lay on the second peak of Creed Mountain, a sacred spring that had flowed uninterrupted for thousands of years. Legends claimed it could cleanse corruption, mend broken foundations, and heal wounds that no ordinary method could touch.
Whether it would save Leon…
Only fate would decide.